The Homebound Story
by Mysticalsorcery
Summary: THS is a story made by Mysticalsorcery that involves an oddly colored Vulpix, and a Shinx, as they try to find their way back to their home region, Sinnoh, from Unova. Along the way, they will meet various other Pokemon as they try to evade poachers, other Pokemon, and the mysterious Faricio, a corrupt businessman which has a taste for control.
1. Author's Note

My name is Mysticalsorcery, I'm the author of this story! Of course, you might be wondering what the characters actually look like, and I have some good news! If you go to my Deviantart, you can actually find the official reference sheets for Nikita and Klara!

Now, please enjoy my story! It is a work in progress currently, so stay tuned!

**Klara, Nikita, Faricio, Aella, Solumin (c) Mysticalsorcery**


	2. Chapter 1: Abandonment and the Thief

Among the forest one rainy night, a small light emits from the vegetation surrounding the trees. After the light fades, a small Vulpix with an oddly colored coat opens her eyes, staring up with a smile on her face. In front of the Vulpix, a young man stands, looking down at her with slightly frustrated eyes. She begins to get a confused face, her ears drooping downwards in a saddened fashion. "Master?" the young Vulpix questioned.

The trainer's face seemed to tell a thousand words, from disappointment, to pure hatred. "You embarrass me, you know that? You always come out of your ball when I'm with my friends and I get laughed at! I didn't even want a Vulpix, I wanted a Chimchar and they gave me you as a replacement!" he spat, making the Pokemon jolt a bit, slightly from fear. "You get too excited when I send you out to the point that you can't even battle! What good is a Pokemon if it cannot battle?!"

The Vulpix's eyes appeared to tear up and she took a step forward, her head lowered to the ground, "M-Master, I'm.." she started, just to jump back as a rock smacks in front of her.

"Stay back, are you not understanding me?!" the trainer asks, his eyes seething with rage, "I don't want you anymore! Get out of here and don't follow me!" he yells, staring her down. With that being said, the young male turns his back towards the Vulpix and started to walk forward.

The Vulpix then started to shake her head, just to run up to the leg of the trainer, gripping hold with her mouth, as if begging for him not to abandon her. She looks up at him with tear filled eyes, just to get kicked off. The trainer then continued to move forward, "Leave me alone, I won't tell you this again!" he yelled once again, this time taking a Pokeball out of his pocket.

The Vulpix slowly lifts herself up, her fur dirty from the mud which she had crashed into. She slowly brings herself up to her paws, walking towards him once again, "Master, please, I'm sorry-" she squeaked out, limping slightly as she gets close to his ankle, Once again, she grabs on with her mouth, daring not to let go. The trainer, finally getting sick of the Pokemon not listening, kicks her off with force, yet again making the small Pokemon land in the mud.

With a swift move, the trainer throws the Pokeball up into the air, allowing a bright flash to escape from the sphere. Soon, the figure of a Pokemon appears in front of the Vulpix and her eyes appear to grow in size, absolutely shocked. In front of her, a larger Pokemon stands, staring down at her with sharp teeth and aggressive eyes. She swallows and then backs up, just for the figure of a Luxray to appear in the light of the moon. It's eyes spark with hatred and it looks back at the trainer, awaiting command.

"Vincent, use spark." the trainer commands, "Teach that thing to not follow us!" he tells the Luxray. The Luxray then begins to glow with a yellow light, taking off towards the Vulpix who darts up and keeps her ground, just to get slammed into with the electricity surrounding the lion-like Pokemon. Her form smacks against a tree and she trembles, trying to stand with one eye shut.

"Will you just give up! You're wasting my time!" the trainer screams, "Just leave, why are you just taking this?! You can't beat a fully evolved Pokemon!"

Those words appeared to break the heart of the Vulpix, her eyes filling with tears. She shakily begins to walk forward once again, appearing to almost drag herself across the ground, ever so desperate. "I'm sorry! I'll do better! I promise I'll do better!" she cries out, just for the Luxray to begin laughing.

"You? Do better? You can't even evolve without a petty stone! Come on, he hardly ever used you, nonetheless cared about you!" Vincent tells her, standing proudly. "Not only that, but your colors just show how different you are, you look like a freak!" he laughs, then moves his ear towards his trainer's voice.

"Oh for Arceus's sake!" the trainer sighed, "Vincent! Finish her off with a thunderbolt!"

The Vulpix, being covered by the rain, begins to shake greatly, knowing fully well what this move is, "Please, don't! I'm sorry! Vincent, please! I'm sorry that I embarrassed you all! Let me keep going, I'll do better!" she begs, just for the electrical blast to begin charging around the Luxray. She quickly moves to turn, trying to sprint with her hurting leg.

"Do it, now!" the trainer tells the Luxray, "Make sure she gets the point!"

With a deep chuckle, Vincent emits a loud roar and lightning shoots from his body, striking the Vulpix full force. The Vulpix slams through a tree and rolls across the ground to a stop, shaking as sparks go around her. She weakly opens an eye as the sound of her trainer walking away echoes through the rain, followed by the deep laughter of Vincent.

"Better luck next time, maybe one day you'll be worth something to someone." Vincent tells her, then vanishes through the trees with the trainer beside him. The young Vulpix only lays there as the rain pelts her fur, red seeps from her side and face. With that, she curls up, with only the sound of the forest greeting her that night.

**10 YEARS LATER**

In the busy area of Jubilife City, among the loud crowd of several passerbyers, an old woman moves her way towards a bench to sit down. She smiles, unwrapping a sandwich from its wrapper just to indulge in the taste as she takes a bite. Suddenly, as the old lady swallows, a small nudge wakes her up from her hungry state of mind. Her eyes then move just to be greeted with the cute face of a Shinx, a Pokemon native to the area. "Oh, hello there little one." she gives the Shinx a smile, "Oh? Are you hungry?" she asks, noticing the eyes of the Shinx drift to her sandwich. She keeps her smile and then takes a piece off, holding it out to the Pokemon beside her.

With a soft sniff, the Shinx devoured the small piece and then moves its tail side-to-side, nudging her more. She laughs, "Alright, here, have some more little one." she replied to the Pokemon's cute acts, taking off another small piece. As soon as she moved her neck, the Shinx appeared to gain a malicious smirk and bit down on an object around her neck, ripping it off of her with one forceful tug.

The old lady quickly gained notice as the Pokemon jumped off of the bench and started to sprint away, holding the gold necklace between his teeth. "Thief! Catch that Pokemon! He took my gold necklace!" the old lady screamed, beginning to throw a fit. Suddenly, from beside her, a purple paw reaches up and grabs the sandwich that was left alone as the lady stood up. A Stunky grins ever so maliciously and then takes off running the other way, making the lady grip her hair, "Two thieves! They took my sandwich! Help!"

The Stunky then begins to catch up to the Shinx, both chuckling towards each other with the objects in their mouth. Two police officers stare the Pokemon down and run towards them, reaching to try and grab them as fast as possible. The Shinx swiftly moves and turns a corner into an alleyway, being followed by the Stunky just for them both to be in a seemingly dead end. They turn around, watching the two police officers come closer to them.

"Give it up! You two are cornered, now I'm going to ask nicely, give us the items, now!" one of the officers yell, stepping a bit closer towards the two Pokemon. The Shinx then moves towards the dumpster, tapping on it with his tail, a smirk growing even more. "Come on you, give me that necklace!" the second officer yells, stepping very close towards the two.

With some thrashing noises, the officers look at the dumpster, "What the-" their eyes then widened as the lid slams upwards, revealing the large forms of a Purugly and a Skuntank, both tackling down the officers with force. The Shinx, noticing the lid is open, hops inside and slides down a hole in the bottom of the dumpster.

The Skuntank, growing an even larger smirk, lifts his behind, and releases purple fumes across the whole alleyway. Within seconds, the officers thrash about and sprint out of the alley, both gagging and disgusted by the horrible stench that the giant skunk Pokemon released. Surrounding civilians all gag and move away from the area, leaving a large area open for the fumes to evaporate into the air.

The Skuntank laughs a bit, "Damn right! Take that you Miltanks!" he replies, watching the officers squirm in the far off distance, both over trash cans. The Purugly sighs, "You really do stink, now, lets go to the lair. I don't think I can stand smelling this scent for one more second!" she retorted, turning to hop into the dumpster.

"Come on, why are you so serious?" the Skuntank replied, watching Purugly attempt to hop into the dumpster just to get caught on her fat rolls. With some squirming, she glares back at him, "Just push me in! C'mon, before I vomit!" she hisses.

"Fine, fine, but you have to admit, that was cool, right?!" the Skuntank presses his upper body against her, allowing the fat Pokemon to flip and land on the bottom of the dumpster with a loud thud. "Oh, you idiot! Be more careful and no, you did that last week!" she hissed in reply, just for the large skunk to land on her, making her screech in pain. "Off! Off! Off you fool! You are too fat for me to carry you!" the Purugly thrashed, trying to get the larger Pokemon off. "Look who's talking, you look like a tub of lard!" the Skuntank replied, just to get thrashed off.

After a few seconds, the Stunky hops into the dumpster, staring at them both. "Dad, can we just go now? I think more are coming!" he tells his father. The Stuntank sighs, "Damn it, this always happens!" he sulks, just to be shoved into the hole by Purugly, "Go, go!" she tells him, then follows behind with some huffing and puffing. The Stunky stares down and quickly follows, leaving the dumpster supposedly empty as the lid shuts right above them.

A few yards down the hole, the Shinx proudly sits in front of a pile of stolen jewelry and knick-knacks. "Wow Nikita, you did really good!" the Stunky said, coming up behind him with a smile, "Stealing that necklace was a genius move!"

Nikita, the Shinx, turned his head and released some laughter, "You did really good as well, Simon. I know that Feefee and Winchester are proud of you." he tells the Stunky, who takes a seat next to him.

Feefee, Purugly slowly makes her way in front of them, taking a seat on a rock. She continues to huff and puff, staring them down with a small smile, "Well, well, you both did really good. Not much to say on Winchester's part, however."

Winchester, the Stuntank, hearing her words, quickly turns towards her, "Oh come on! I'm the reason we always get away! Remember that!" he retorted, making Feefee roll her eyes, "That and I wanted to show my son my moves! So he'll learn!"

"Ha, I'm sure he'd learn more from a Magikarp than you, Winchester." Feefee said, beginning to clean her paw. Simon, noticing his dad's facial expression, lowered an ear, but also seemed to hold his breath to not laugh. "Yeah dad, you showed me so much, like how to be disgusting in public."

"Oh my Arceus, that's great!" Nikita then started to laugh, causing Simon to start laughing as well. Feefee gained a smirk and Winchester lowered his head in defeat, "I'll work on it.." he replied sorrowfully.

"Now that we are done berating Winchester, l can get into the big news of today." Feefee announced, catching the attention of everyone in the hideout.

"Big news? What is it? Did we manage to strike nuggets?" Nikita asked cockily. Feefee glares down at Nikita, "Or is it something else? Like, um, did we finally get enough gold or-"

"No, we did not." Feefee interrupted, silencing Nikita quickly, "I have a new opportunity for us all to gain such treasures though."

"An opportunity?! What opportunity?! What is it?!" Simon started to ask, becoming hyper as can be towards the sound of a much more important task.

"Silence yourself, let me explain properly. So, you know Eterna Forest? There is a mansion in there that might contain some of the greatest riches. It is quite a distance away, miles even, but there will be a truck going through Floaroma Town to take us there easily. By us, I mean you Nikita." she explains, causing the small Pokemon to jolt a bit.

"Wha? Why me?" he asks, "I mean, I'll take this opportunity, but-"

"You've been chosen because you're one of our best. Now, will you take this offer or be shunned for denying it?" Feefee asked with a serious tone of voice.

Knowing fully well that the Purugly was serious, Nikita stared in thought for a moment. How would a small Pokemon like him even get such riches back though? He did not know, but nodded towards the Purugly's words. "Yeah, I'll take it, I'll certainly take it!" he replies, smiling brightly, "It is an honor!"


	3. Chapter 2: The Meeting and a Beginning

Deep inside of Eterna Forest, among the rustling trees and the soft breeze, a Pokemon sat. Her reddish-pink eyes staring into the sky with a frown on her face. It had been years since she had seen her past trainer, and she had grown adjusted to living inside of the forest, just like any other Pokemon. The Vulpix, known as Klara, glanced about the area as a thud was heard, followed by the sound of footsteps. Immediately, her fur went upwards and she turned her body, pausing at the sight of an oran berry and a Buneary, which grabs it in its paws. The moment the Buneary looked up, it paused at the sight of her and a staring contest ensued between the two. With the tilt of an ear and a confused look, the Buneary hopped off into the distance, holding the berry in its fur.

Klara whined a bit in reply and hopped off of the wooden stump that she was sitting on. The peace was then broke once again, this time by the sound of her own stomach, which gurgled hungrily. She turned herself around and then slowly walked into the bushes, eventually walking towards a large, abandoned mansion in the distance. Upon reaching the steps, the Vulpix pawed around until a piece of the door lifted, just enough for her form to slide through. She finally felt the peace she desired and stretched her body out, yawning tiredly as she turned the corner, walking into a room with a small television. Next to the TV, there was a pile of berries, all waiting for her, all alone.

With some drool building up around her lips, she wrapped her mouth around a berry and bit down, cherishing the sweet taste that was held within. Ever since the Vulpix had been abandoned, she had taught herself how to be like other Pokemon, at least, that's what she tries to be. She was alone, friendless as can be, but she didn't mind overall, after all, the words of the past still managed to haunt her each day.

After finishing her first berry, she went to bite into a sitrus berry, just to suddenly come to a pause as soft footsteps are heard. Her eyes widened and she tensed up, feeling sudden cold wash over her form as something drags itself down her back. She growls and then squinted, trying to see what it might be, just to see the apparition of a Haunter, which grinned with its usual expression. Feeling her anger build, she started to form flames inside of her mouth, "Back off! This is my food! I collected it myself!" she yelled towards the Haunter.

The Haunter, noticing her flames, lifted its two ghostly hands up and then swallowed, "I have no need for your food!" it laughed, "You keep coming in here like you own the place, you don't. In other words, pack yourself up and go home kid. This is our-" before it could finish, flames smacked against its body, knocking it to the ground.

"Don't tell me what to do! I've been here for ten years and I'm tired of you always bothering me! Now get out of here! I'll make you regret it if you don't leave!" she threatened, making the ghost Pokemon frown angrily, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, fine. No need to burn our building down." it replied, seeming to vanish through the wall.

This was the truth, for ten years, the Vulpix had made herself at home with the mansion. She had started to stash her food in the room that she claimed, and since ghost Pokemon are considered dead, why would they have to eat like her? Not only that, but the mansion's only residents were that of Ghost types, so it was pretty quiet, especially with no humans around to try and catch her or worse, hurt her.

As she indulges herself in the berries, her ears twitched left and right. That's when she heard it, the sound of actual movement. Her eyes widened, she knew that sound from anywhere, especially from her past. Her fear started to grow and the ghost Pokemon, she could hear them all fleeing away, hiding. Something started to creak and her heart started to speed up, "No, no, no." she told herself, scooting her small form underneath of a table. Her thoughts started to build up, was it a human, maybe a big Pokemon?!

Near the entrance of the building, Nikita had himself stuck halfway out of the mansion and halfway in, a bit chunky to say the least in comparison to the small hole. "Dang it!" he said angrily, huffing about until the chunk of wood from the door snapped off, landing on the wooden flooring next to him. He glanced about, grinning mischievously, "Man, this looks cool. Looks like the old feline isn't so crazy after all." he told himself. Nikita, after several hours, had made it to the forest and into the mansion. His paws ached, his stomach turned in hunger, and he felt as proud as ever.

With some stretching, he moved forward, nearly tripping on an old rug as he lost his attention towards the paintings on the wall, all of which appeared to follow him as he moved forward. "Lets see, old paintings, no. They would be way too heavy to take back." he lectured himself, looking around just to see something that resembled a black scarf with blue jewels on it. "Oh wow, that'll do!" he scampered his way towards the table with the scarf on it and then halfway closed an eye, wiggled his butt, and hopped onto the table with ease. In the process, he knocked some vases over, shattering them on the ground. He laughed a bit and picked up the scarf in his mouth. The scarf made some jingling noises from the jewelry as he hopped off of the table, making his way down the hall towards the cracked open door nearby.

Inside the room, Klara's eyes opened up some more. She could sense the figure coming closer to her room and she further tucked into the shadows, not knowing what to expect from the other side. With the creak of the door, Klara braced herself, just to gasp at the sight of Nikita with her scarf. Her eyes twitched and Nikita's eyes sparkled at the sight of the pile of berries.

"Holy moly! Look at you, you beautiful pile of deliciousness!" he spat out, dropping the scarf onto the ground just to dive face-first into the large pile. The only thing noticeable to the Vulpix was his rear end, which was just enough to turn the frightened fox into a raging machine. "Oh, so good! This is just what I needed!" Nikita said to himself, his mouth becoming full of berries, making him muffled.

Behind him, the now furious form of Klara quietly came out of her hiding place, her teeth gritting together, her fur spiked up. Her berries, her berries in which she had collected over the last few weeks was being devoured by a thief! Her paw carefully moves over and wrapped the black scarf around her neck and she lowered herself to the ground, getting closer to the unwary Pokemon, which was still halfway into the pile.

"Are you enjoying your food?!" she suddenly yelled, catching the unsuspecting Shinx off guard. With a quick turn, Nikita's eyes widened and emitted a pained scream as Klara gripped hold of his tail, throwing him away from the pile of berries. With a hard smack, Nikita squeaked in pain, "Ow, that hurt!" he whined, lifting his head and form up to become face-to-face with the angered Klara, "Whoa! What's up with you?!" he asked quickly, "I was hungry, besides, finders keepers!" he laughed, puffing his chest up all cockily.

"Finders keepers?! You ate most of my food supply!" she screamed, her eyes turning into angry flames, "And you tried to take my scarf?! Why I oughta-" she was then interrupted by a yawn. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, I'm full now, so you can have the rest. No need to cry over it, Princess." Nikita said, scratching his ear with his hind leg.

Her lips seemed to twist several times and a bright light started to form between her lips, making Nikita suddenly snap out of his self-centered haze. "U-Uh, what're you doing?!" his eyes widened greatly and his ears lowered, "Don't tell me that you're that mad, c'mon, it was only a prank-"

Before he could finish, the fox Pokemon released a giant flame from her mouth, hitting the Shinx head on, making him whine in pain. "Ow, ow, ow! Hey, what gives?!" he whined, trying to force himself to stand up. Klara, now in a pouncing position, showed her teeth, "Your kind makes me sick! Always thinking that you're better than everyone else! I should skin you alive!" she spat, making the Shinx's expression grow nervous. "U-Uh, come on baby, we can talk about this!" Nikita tried to say, yet Klara refused to listen and yet again forming the flames in her mouth.

Ghost Pokemon watched from above, with some covering their eyes and looking away. Some quickly started to flee the area, going out of the slightly boarded windows and others phasing away all together. "Oh come on, we can talk about this! You seem reasonable, I'll just-" then it happened. The flame from Klara's mouth shot out and Nikita ducked, diving away from the flame that smacked against the wall, lighting it on fire.

Nikita and Klara both stared with wide, shocked eyes and looked at each other as the fire started to spread. "I hate you so much." Klara hissed, then watched as Nikita hopped into the air, screamed, and bolted out of the room as his tail was set alight. Klara glared with rage in her eyes, "Get back here! I'm not done with you!" she yelled, taking off quickly into the hallway. As ghost Pokemon flew about to escape the slowly burning building, smoke started to build, erupting from the roof of the mansion in giant heaps.

Nearby, among the forest, a couple men in white suits turned around to see the smoke rising. In their hands, a couple nets full of small forest Pokemon hung. Some of the Pokemon thrashed about, while others only accepted their fate. Next to the two humans, a Weavile and a Blaziken stands, staring directly at the smoke. One of the humans grinned, "Well, looks like someone set that mansion alight. How about we go and check it out?" he asked the other, who in which nodded in reply. One hopped into the vehicle while the other threw the net full of small Pokemon into the back, hopping in with them as if to keep watch. With each movement, the Pokemon in the net arched in pain, getting shocked every few seconds to keep them stable. The Weavile and Blaziken hopped onto the top of the vehicle, staring down the smoke. The Weavile rubbed its claws together, "This might be your job Blaziken." it said, looking at the overgrown fire chicken, who only shrugged, "I'll do what I need to do, until then, shut it." he replied, making the Weavile grin more. The vehicle then pulled forward, heading towards the smoke.

Inside the burning building, Nikita hopped from table to table, beginning to get on Klara's nerves even more. "You hit like a girl!" he laughed, turning his butt towards her just to smack it. Klara's eyes only twitched more in reply, "I hate you! Look at what you've done!" she jumped up, biting Nikita's tail deeply, tugging him down onto the floor where the two Pokemon started to fight. Biting and scratching away, the two only seemed to get more violent until Nikita hopped off yet again and took off up the stairs which slowly started to catch on fire. He gasped, falling down a small hole just to be right back in front of the angry Vulpix.

"Are you done yet!?" Klara barked, this time, her fangs starting to glow white. She went in and then went to slam her teeth down onto his scruff, just to suddenly scream in pain as something fast slammed against her, knocking her against the wall with force. Nikita laughed and then tapped his feet, "I win, I win! I-"

He seemed to freeze in place as a giant shadow hovered over his form and his eyes slowly looked behind him, seeing Blaziken who cracked his knuckles. Nikita's victorious grin turned into a nervous one, "Er… berry?" he said, his lip quivering as he started to back up towards the entrance. Blaziken's fire burned greatly around his wrists and he emitted a howl of energy, making the much smaller Pokemon attempt to take off out the entrance. As soon as he ran out, he let out a victorious laugh, "Ha! Take that you giant nugget!"

"Congratulations squirt, you managed to be dumber than I thought you'd be." a sharp voice said. As soon as Nikita turned, he was punched against the face by a hand covered in ice, knocking him into the air with force. Below him, Weavile stood with a smirk. Landing on the ground with a thud, Nikita's eyes went halfway shut and he nervously laughed, "Crap-" he managed to squeak out as a gloved hand gripped him by the scruff and threw him into a cage. He could only see the outline of a human being as the doors closed on him.

Inside the burning building, Klara's form pushed herself up to her paws, struggling a little, but not too much. Blaziken walked over to her and stared her down, his arms still crossed. "Well, well, a Vulpix? You look odd, different even, and you're not in Kanto. You must be a rare find indeed. I'm sure that someone out there will like you on their couch, as a small blanket." he brought his talon-like hands down and then suddenly yelped as Klara's teeth gripped hold, refusing to let go.

He squawked in pain and then started to throw his arm around left and right, trying to get her off of his arm. "Let go! You runt!" he screamed, trying to knock her off with so much force. He swiftly turned his form and slammed her against a wall, yet she didn't let go. He pecked at her head, she yet again refused to let go. She was a fighter, after all, she had been training for ten years alone as can be. He then, finally getting sick of this, brought his entire leg alight in flames. "Get off! Now!" he yelled, just to use Blaze Kick directly on her head, knocking her off and into the wooden floor, breaking some of the wood upwards, leaving her in a small hole.

As flames crackled around the now engulfed building, the two human beings stood outside, waiting. "C'mon, your Blaziken better hurry up, we don't want the law to get here. After all, we are poaching Pokemon, we could get life sentences." one beings to say, being impatient. The other human groaned, "I'm sure he'll get whatever is in there, after all, it must've put up some sort of fight." he admitted, "It normally only takes a couple minutes."

The Blaziken stared down at the now unconscious Pokemon, gripping her tightly in his claws. "Hmm, maybe we will find a better use for you, in the future. A fighter like you will be good, very good indeed." he then kicked open the now burning door to the building, walking outside just to hold Klara up to the two humans.

"What is that, a Vulpix? In Sinnoh?" one questioned, looking closely at it, "Hmm, and it's a different color too, how interesting." he continues, grinning. The other human opens the back of the vehicle, looking towards the Vulpix, "Well, she could sell well, perhaps someone could buy her and use her? After all, she did seem to make Blaziken get injured."

Blaziken looks at Weavile who begins to laugh, "You try fighting this thing, I dare you." he hissed, almost angry at the taunting Weavile. After being placed in the back in the same cage as Nikita, the two poachers laugh and celebrate themselves, getting into the front. "What about the Shinx?" one asks the other, who grins, "They have a high demand for Shinx tails right now in a certain region, so I have an idea where we can take them." the other replied.

Klara's eyes twitched open and she weakly tilted her ear to hear, "Unova, that's where we'll take them." she heard one of them say, "Them? Why both? The Vulpix-" the other started, "The Vulpix might be sought after more there, after all, since Team Plasma fell, there's a lot more rich and powerful bodies willing to take such a Pokemon. You understand me?!" the other replied, slightly angry. With that being said, the Vulpix's eyes started to shut once again and her world faded to black.


	4. Chapter 3: The Great Escape

**HOURS LATER...**

With a few bumps and the sounds of yelling, Klara's eyes opened up to be met with darkness. She coughed and wheezed, twitching her paws a bit in an attempt to snap out of her daze. "W-What's going on?" she coughed out, trying to have her eyes adjust to her surroundings. Soft whimpering could be heard next to her and she turned her sore form just to be greeted with Nikita, who in which pawed against her as he started to wake up. Her rage started to build once again as she pressed him up against the side of the cage, making his eyes snap open. "Ow, oh come on! I was napping!" he whined, just to form a fearful face at the sight of the Vulpix.

"You! You did this to us! You know what we're in?!" Klara asked, shoving him against the steel bars of the cage more. With a scrunched up face and a purple hue appearing on his face, he started to speak. "I don't know! A vehicle?!" he asked, partially correct. "We're in a cage, you idiot!" she yelled, pinning him against the cage even more. He started to gag and then wheezes, "Okay, okay, let me go! I can't breathe!" he cried out, starting to build up electricity around his form as his panicking begins to grow.

The sight of the sparks made Klara recoil, releasing him from his slammed state. He emitted a sigh of content after being released from the rough shoving, falling flat on his face. His tail smacked against the cage, making Klara back up more, "So, in a cage?" Nikita asked, looking at Klara, "Oh man, those humans think they can keep us in here?! Well, they don't know who I am!" Nikita laughed, making Klara's ears go back.

"I know what you are, a bloody idiot. You are nothing but a stuck up, thieving, annoying brat!" she yelled, causing a claw to glide across the top of the cage, "Aw, you two seem to be the most perfect of acquaintances." the Weavile said, sitting on the cage with a smirk. Nikita glares, "Hey! You're the one which hit my face! Get down here, I'll take you!" he yelled back at the dark and ice type weasel. Weavile only yawned into his claws, "Yeah, sure, runt." he replied, causing Nikita to get angry. "You say that to my face! I'll kick your ass!" Nikita started to slam against the cage, making the Weavile laugh.

Klara's eyes rolled then she jerked a bit, feeling the truck come to a stop. The Weavile laughed, "Kick my ass some other time kid, you won't see me for awhile." he said, moving off of the cage with a snort. "Anywho, tah!~"

The moment the Weavile finished his sentence, the two back doors of the vehicle opened wide, allowing the bright light of the sunset to shine through, revealing the knocked out Pokemon in seperate cages around them. Klara's eyes became distressed, "Oh Arceus, oh Arceus!" she started to repeat, biting onto one of the bars on the cage, "No, this can't be happening! No, no! Not to me, don't let this be me!" she cried out, yanking at the bars more and more, hoping that the bars would break. A human walks towards the back, being followed by a couple more, each of which wearing the same white coats from before. One by one, they grabbed cages and nets full of Pokemon from the back, eventually heading towards a small white ship.

The Weavile bent himself forward, laughing a bit at all of the Pokemon which started to wake up and panic. "Welcome to your new home! Keep your paws and claws in the cages at all times! Last thing you want is for those little toes to come clean off! After all, Pokemon part necklaces are out of style this year." he joked sadistically.

The moment one white coated person came close, Nikita started to spark and Klara started to feel her mouth heat up in flames. The person moved his hand into his pocket and took out a small device with a button on it. "Calm down, now." the human said, pressing the red button on the device. A soft ticking noise emitted from it and soon, the whole cage started to light up and Nikita glances at it. "U-Uh, what the.." he started to say, but quickly got interrupted by electricity coursing through the steel cage.

Klara arched her back and emitted a scream of pain, her whole body lit up with blue electricity right next to the now laughing Shinx. "Come on guys, I'm not affected by-" his body then started to freeze up and he emitted a pained cry, the power of the electricity even affecting him. He arched and jerked, slamming himself against the side of the cave until the electricity stopped, leading both of the small Pokemon to fall onto their stomachs, shaking violently in place as sparks go across their fur. The human hums a bit in response, "There, now you'll both behave." he brought a gloved hand over the handle of the cage, lifting it with strength towards the boat. The moment the poacher walked across the wooden flooring of the boat and placed both Pokemon down, all the other Pokemon started to screech, scream, and thrash inside of their cages and nets. The poachers all gathered, nodded, and soon the boat started to move, taking off into the sea.

**AS NIGHT COMES...**

The moon lit up the sky in a white haze that very night. The boat swayed around as small waves crashed against the steel exterior of the boat, splashing droplets of water onto the wooden floor. Klara's form remained still, yet she was awake, thinking to herself with a saddened expression as they went away further from home. Nikita sat staring with sad eyes, "Man, this really sucks." he sighed, slamming his paw down, "Are we seriously going to just let them take us like-" he started, "Shut up, just.. shut up." Klara sighed out, defeated, "We can't leave, look at us, all of us you overconfident, stubborn Shinx." she spat out, her eyes beginning to build with tears, "Yet again I will be hurt at the hands of a human, you think I want this? None of us can do anything, just look at us, look at us!" she finished, making Nikita's ears lower.

For once, Nikita had to finally admit that he was wrong, it was true. As his yellow eyes stared at the bars that held them, they started to fill up with tears as well, "Damn it, guess this is it, huh?" he asked her, "Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot, you burned down your house after all. So, how about we put our differences aside and-"

"Leave it be, I don't care anymore.." she said, depressed as can be, "After all, I'd rather not get zapped again, and I would rather just lay here and enjoy the time we have left." she tells him, catching the Shinx off guard. "What? What do you mean? Don't we have our whole life to live?" he questioned, not understanding most of the situation at hand, even though it is fairly obvious.

"You know where we are, Shinx?" she asked, looking back at him sourly, "Oh, what am I saying? Of course you aren't comprehending this. We're on a boat to be made into clothes, ornaments, and accessories! Now, do you understand?" she asked him, receiving nothing but a shaky gasp from Nikita. "We are only a number, I'm a petty Vulpix, you are a petty Shinx. Now be quiet and let me enjoy my peace while I can." she then went quiet once again.

Nikita's eyes closed and he looked down, "Ah, so, we're not fighting to get out of this?" he asked, "Well, maybe you won't, but I will." he tells her, grinning mischievously, "I have my way of getting around!" he stands proudly just to hit his head on the top of the cage. Whimpering and rubbing his head, Klara rolled her eyes, "My hero."

Suddenly, breaking the momentary silence between the two Pokemon, a whisper came from the cage nearby. "Hey, you two, are you both thinking about breaking out?" the voice asked, a female voice. Nikita gasps, "Hey! Are you going to-" the voice then stopped Nikita, "Quiet you idiot, we don't want to get caught, now do we?" she replied. Klara squinted her eyes a bit, as if trying to see what Pokemon it is, "Uh, how do we know that we can trust you?" she asked, just for a beak to pop out of the bars, revealing a parrot-like Pokemon. It glanced over at Nikita and Klara with a smile, "Well, because I don't wish to die, after all, we Chatot are rare and wanted for our feathers." she replies. "Whoa, cool, I heard of your kind, you can mimic people." Nikita responded, "Super sneaky and clever, I like it."

The Chatot nodded, "Please, call me Aella, and yes, that will be our way of escaping." she replied, then glances about, "You see, we'll have to wait until we're closer to land, the last thing we need is for everyone to drown." she whispered, glancing left and right, "Now, be very quiet, nobody else must hear of this plan but us, understood?" Aella asked, making Nikita and Klara nod.

"Then that settles it, we should be arriving around sunrise, so be ready. If we screw this up, we could be killed, understood?" Aella ordered, "Now, let's rest. We don't want to be tired when we do this." she then backed up into the cage more, tucking her head into her feathers. Nikita and Klara both glanced at each other, then back to the bird, both tucking into themselves to go to sleep.

**AS MORNING COMES...**

As night turned to morning, the sun splintered across the sky in a bright yellow and orange, hovering above the ocean in a bright haze. The moment the sun's rays touched the boat was the moment in which Klara's hot pink eyes opened up partially, especially after hearing Nikita yawn next to her. With a grumble and a yawn, she lifted her head and then noticed the emptiness of the boat, where were the humans? That's when she felt the boat tug, leading to a poacher cheering a bit towards four others, all of which seemed to be at the port. As many poachers walked about, some scrambling to take Pokemon off of other boats, while some lazily slacked off on benches. Klara, feeling her anxiety spike, heard sudden screeches from the Chatot's cave, one so loud that it could be heard from a mile away. Yet Aella didn't sound like herself, she instead sounded like another Pokemon altogether, one in deep pain.

Such a sound alerted the poachers, "What was that?!" one asks, glancing to the other, "I don't know, send one of your Pokemon in damn it, don't waste anymore time you lazy slacker!" another replied, crossing his arms. The slacking poacher only groaned, turning his body to grab out a Pokeball. He threw it into the air and a bright light emitted from the ball, revealing a Gabite, one which seemed annoyed as can be at the sudden event. It glanced back at the poacher and released a sigh, walking onto the boat with some worry written on its face as it stared at the water surrounding it.

Aella then emitted another Pokemon cry, one that sounds angry, almost as if two Pokemon started to fight amongst each other in a rage. Its eyes widened and it leaned in, heading towards the cage with its teeth ready to bite if needed. As soon as it arrived at the cage, it slowly bent down, looking into it with a confused face, "Hello?" it asked, "What's up with all that yelling!? You better keep those hands, paws, or claws to yourself!" it yelled, leaning in closer.

Klara's eyes moved about and she glanced at Nikita, who shuffled to his paws as the Gabite's tail drew closer to their own cage. "Can we do it now?" Nikita whispered, just to get a paw shoved against his mouth, "Quiet, we don't want that dragon to hear us." Klara huffed, making sure to keep Nikita quiet as the plan played out.

The Gabite, not knowing what was to come, leaned in closer, "Uh, hello? Did you die? Hmph, better have not been valuable!" it said. Suddenly, without warning, Aella's beak slammed through the bars of the cage just to bite onto the Gabite's face, causing the Gabite to scream bloody murder. It yanked and with all the thrashing, managed to get away, but not without a large gash on its face. In a deep rage, it's mouth started to glow, "That does it you little prankster! I'll kill you!" it yelled, its eyes glowing as if it lost all control.

Klara's eyes widened and she ducked under her paws, watching the light from the Gabite's mouth build and then strike the cages all around the Chatot, including their own. The poachers, hearing the loud explosion, only gasped as smoke started to rise from the boat. "What the hell happened now?!" one screamed, just for the Gabite's trainer to lower his hat in shame, "Aw damn it, not again, why is your temper so bad?!" the poacher groaned to himself, knowing fully well that his Pokemon decided to cut loose on some small Pokemon in an overreacting way once again.

The poachers all quickly made their way over to the smoking boat, hopping on board with their nets in hand. As the smoke started to clear, the cages were all blown to pieces, scattered all around the partially destroyed wooden flooring of the boat. Nikita's eyes glanced quickly about as other Pokemon started to run from their torn nets and broken cages. "That worked?! Seriously!? How stupid!" he said while puffing a cheek.

"Are you okay?!" Aella asked, quickly flying through the dissipating smoke to greet the two Pokemon, one of which appeared to still be lying on the ground next to the Shinx. Nikita nodded, "Yeah! I was lucky that the beam didn't hit me fully! What about you Vulpix?!" he asked, receiving a whimper and groan in response. Aella's head tilted and she caught sight of the damaged Klara, who in which struggled to stand to her paws, "I'm fine, just injured, been worse." she replied, glaring towards Nikita.

Nearby, yelling could be heard from the poachers as the Gabite's beams went through the sky, "Gabite, no! Calm down!" one yelled, jumping onto the Pokemon in an effort to stop its thrashing. "Return your Pokemon! Now!" another told the Gabite's owner, who in which struggled to find his balls. "I can't find his Pokeball! Oh wait, here it is!" he yells, taking the ball off of his belt. He returns the thrashing Gabite as more Pokemon hopped off of the ship and onto the port, leaving into the large city. Aella nudged Klara and Nikita, "Go, go! If we stay here any longer, we'll be right back at step one!" she yelled, causing both Pokemon to start running towards the port.

As they turned a corner, they skidded to a stop as two poachers reached for them. Klara, getting filled with anger, dodged their hands and then used Flamethrower, torching both men in flames. They screamed and thrashed, both in deep agony as their flesh burned from the intense heat. Backing up, both poachers fell off the boat and into the water, allowing all three Pokemon to hop onto the port. The moment that Klara hit land was the moment she started to run for dear life, all three glanced back at the poachers as they started to run towards the street. As sirens blared, the poachers giving chase came to a halt and glanced amongst each other, some terrified as can be as flashes of red and blue catch their attention. "Shit, it's the cops!" one cursed, glancing towards the others. "Well, what are you standing here for?! Run! Hide!" he yelled, causing the other few to start panicking, running about the area with no escape to run to. The poacher emitted a sigh of frustration and quickly ran towards the three Pokemon, but instead of chasing after them, he took a right and ran past several civilians, making his way into an alley just to vanish.

Klara, Nikita, and Aella all glanced back as the officers pulled up near them, taking out their guns and handcuffs. Klara lowered her head and tucked herself underneath of a bench, eventually being followed by the other two who watched the scene go down. The poachers and the cops started to cause commotion, making civilians move all about, almost as if some wanted to see the commotion for themselves. "Come on, we need to get out of here, now." Aella told the group. Nikita, feeling himself grow proud of surviving such a conflict between Pokemon and humans, puffed out his chest, "And as the leader of this group, I say we all go our separate ways, deal?" he asked.

Klara, feeling more of her frustration build, only pinned the Pokemon down, "No! As much as I would love to split from you, all of us are still in danger and now we are in an unknown region! You understand me?! Stop acting all tough or you'll get us all caught, again!" she yelled, making the Shinx's ears go down, "Fine, fine, you're right Princess." he spoke, making the Vulpix's paws crush down on him more, "My name is Klara, not Princess!" she replied angrily, just to snap out of her rage as the Chatot poked her with her feather.

"As much as I would hate to interrupt, we should get going now. After all, an unusual Vulpix and a snarky Shinx dressed in red and jewelry would be easy to find and catch, yes?" Aella stated, tapping her talons against the concrete. Feeling defeated, Nikita huffed, "Fine, now get off of me Klara." he replied. As weight lifted from his torso, Klara's form swiftly darted from beneath the bench and into the streets where civilians all started to scatter. Nikita joined behind and Aella flew into the air, glancing about, "This way!" she yelled, flying a specific direction. Klara followed closely behind, dodging the legs of several humans and other Pokemon as they scattered about. Soon, all three Pokemon arrived at a clearing, finally allowing them all to rest. Aella, feeling her wings slowly getting weak, landed on a garbage bin, panting slightly. Nikita, feeling his exhaustion kick in, placed himself near the garbage bin in a sitting position, shutting his eyes, "Man, what a rush." he said, his eyes suddenly darting as Klara quickly collapses onto the ground, her leg visibly bleeding for them both to see.

"Oh no, you're injured Klara!" Aella squawked, staring at her with concern. Klara brought her paws up and lifted herself, starting to walk once more, "I'm fine, don't worry about it. This is a me problem, not a you problem." she huffed, moving to Nikita's far left. She leaned back and started to lick her wound, "Aella, any idea of where we're at?" Nikita asked, looking up at the parrot who stretched her wings out. "Oh yes, I know where we're at, and trust me, you two better start acting kindly to each other, after all, this is a big city." she explained, "It's about time that you know something." she continued, hopping down in front of them.

"Know something? What are you saying?" Klara questioned, feeling her suspicion rise, "Are you working for someone else?" she asked, her ears going back. The Chatot only shook her head, "Of course not! I work for myself and all Pokemon which are captured by the poachers. You see, I save trapped Pokemon, and unfortunately, during one of my rescue missions, I was caught and thrown in with the rest of the Pokemon. I've landed here quite a few times, you are both in the biggest city in the Unova region, Castelia City." she explained, lifting her wings up as if posing in victory.

Nikita's eyes started to sparkle and he jumped up and down, "Whoa! So you're like uh, like.. uh.." he tried to think, patting his chin with his paw. Klara, feeling embarrassed by the Shinx, "You're like a secret agent or undercover officer." she finished, making Nikita nod in agreement. A hue of pink appeared on the Chatot's face and she rubbed her neck with her feathers, "I wouldn't call me that exactly, but I am one of a kind." she smiled, "Now then, you both should follow me, we're not safe being out here like this. Luckily, we're close to the den, so come with me." she said, walking on the ground due to her tired wings.

Both Nikita and Klara glanced at each other and then looked away, following the bird with hesitation, yet also a sense of relief. It felt nice to know that they weren't alone in this, especially in an unknown region at a very wrong time.


	5. Chapter 4: The Den and the Businessman

**A FEW MINUTES LATER...**

As Castelia City echoed with the voices of several civilians and Pokemon alike, the trio had found themselves in a dead end, or that is what it appeared to be. Aella glanced about to make sure that they weren't being followed, then nodded, "Wait here." she told the two confused Pokemon. She then lifted herself into the air and moved to a door with a slide in the center. She knocked her beak against it, causing a rough voice to emit on the other side. "Password?" the voice asked, followed by the slide moving to the left. Two eyes peered through and then a gasp emitted, "Ah, Aella! Welcome back! Did you bring more rescues?" the Pokemon asked.

Aella nodded, "Yes, a Vulpix and a Shinx, now if you will, please open the door." she replied. With some clicking sounds and a clanging noise, the door creaked open revealing a Haxorus, one which made Klara's fur stand up on the end. "W-What is that?!" Nikita asked, seeming just as surprised at the dragon type staring down at them both. The Haxorus released a long laugh, grinning down at the two, "Ah, you're not from here, I can tell." he said, his voice just as hyper and rough as his whole body.

Aella rolled her eyes and then flew inside, landing on the ground. Klara tucked her ears down and moved around Haxorus to enter the building, being followed by Nikita, who in which continued to look back at the strong dragon. Smoke suddenly moved and slammed directly through Klara's nostrils and her eyes moved forward, "What in the..?"

All around the trio, Pokemon were all gathered around the inside of the huge building. Some held onto pool sticks while a sad, obviously drunk Patrat limped out the door that the trio came in through. Klara observed the small Pokemon as it stumbled against a garbage can outside and then proceeded to throw up on the ground, making the Haxorus give it a disgusted look. The Patrat turned around towards the door and gave a peace sign with its paws before collapsing on the ground, out cold. The Haxorus sighed and then walked back inside, closing the door as he finally got in.

Bar stools sat against the bar tables and a Lucario started to chug down a large glass of beer, tipping back so far it fell onto the floor with a thud, making Klara hop back so the large Pokemon wouldn't land on her. Nikita, however, only laughed at the display of the Pokemon and Aella snickered, "Welcome to the den, also known as The Castelia Jungle." she announced, flying her way towards the stairs. Klara let out a groan, "My leg is starting to hurt now, I don't think I can go up the stairs." she admitted, her ears going back as soon as Nikita started to open his mouth.

"Aw, c'mon Klara, it's not that bad!" he teased, hopping up on the first stair, "See, you gotta keep on walking! Gotta keep on walking!" he sung a bit, yet very horribly, making Aella squawk. "Please, not to be offensive, but your singing isn't the best and I doubt Klara likes your words." she scolded the Pokemon, who in which grinned embarrassed as can be, "W-Well, yeah, okay.." he replied.

Klara gained a mischievous expression as Nikita turned around, then jumped onto his back, making him yelp in surprise. "If it's not bad, carry me, or is that too much for you, big man?" she teased, making sweat form on Nikita's forehead, "S-Shut up, I can carry you, you're not that heavy!" he wheezed, stepping up stair after stair. Aella softly chuckled and flew above them, leading them to the second floor.

On the second floor, several Pokemon stood around, each of which looking at the trio as they arrived. A couple Koffing glanced back to what they were watching as a Mr. Mime served more alcohol, pausing at the sight of the Vulpix. Klara could feel all the eyes on her and started to sink into herself slightly, "What?! What are you all looking at!?" she growled, making the Pokemon quickly glance away. Mr. Mime nearly dropped the bottles and grinned, waving a tad at Aella as they went towards an open door leading to an office. Nikita's eyes appeared exhausted and he huffed and puffed, landing on his stomach the moment he made it near the mini bar.

With some tapping, his ears twitched and he looked up, noticing the Mr. Mime leaning over him. "..." it silently smiled down at him and Nikita groaned, "So, the silent type, huh? Listen, is there an age limit to drinking that stuff? I'm thirsty." he suddenly said. Mr. Mime, lifting a brow, nodded his head and then retreated to the back of the mini bar. Nikita sighed happily and hopped up onto the bar stool, watching as the liquid was poured into a glass and then served to him. He chuckled to himself and then dunked his face into the drink, beginning to chug it down. Nearby, Aella looked over Klara's wound, "Hmmm.." she walked over towards some potion bottles and grabbed one in her beak, hopping over to Klara. She placed her talons on the potion and then nodded to Klara, "Go ahead and place the wound near it." she instructed. Feeling comfortable, Klara leaned the wound close and Aella pressed down on it, making it spray onto the wound. The potion left a stinging sensation on Klara's wound as the spray made contact with her fur and skin. She whined and then closed her eyes, "Can I please sleep?" she asked. "If that makes you feel better, go for it. Hey, wait a minute, where's your friend?" Aella questioned, finally noticing Nikita's disappearance.

Annoyed at the mention of 'friend', Klara huffed, "He isn't a friend, more like a temporary acquaintance." she corrected, lifting herself to her paws. She curled up on a bean bag, cuddling into it with some grunting. Aella formed a serious expression and then sighed, "If that mime did what I think he did, I'm going to chatter his head off." she huffed, leaving the room. Laughter emitted from the downstairs area, catching the attention of Aella, "Oh no, Mr. Mime, you didn't!" she glared at the mime which dropped one of the glasses and rubbed the back of its head.

Nikita's voice splintered through the building and his form swung back and forth from a light, his eyes as drunk as can be. His tail swished about as he jumped from one to another and then slid onto the downstairs bar table, grabbing a glass with his paws just to dunk his head into it as well, surprising the Lucario who finally decided to stand back up from its tumble. Nikita turned his head and released a loud burp directly in the drunk Lucario's face, making its eyes glow blue with an angered aura. "Y-You lil s-shit!" it yelled, slamming its paw down directly on the bar just to miss and scream in pain as its paw got crushed against the stone bar table. The Audino working at that bar table backed up and then rolled her eyes, "Here we go again.." she muttered to herself.

Nikita hopped onto the head of the Lucario, then jumped quickly off, causing it to slam its paws directly on its own head, knocking it out cold onto the floor. As the Lucario's form landed on the ground, Nikita laughed out loud and tripped over his own paws, "I-It hurt i-itself in i-its confusion!" he laughed, rolling onto his back while laughing uncontrollably.

Aella's face turned red and she squawked at Nikita, landing next to him. She moves her talons onto his face, pinning him, "Come on! Stop this! Stop being a troublemaker!" she commanded, making Nikita laugh even harder. Haxorus made his way towards the two Pokemon, picking Nikita up in his claws. "..." he groaned to himself and then moved towards the door, "Should I throw him out?" he asks Aella, who shakes her head, "No, leave him in here, just make sure that he stays out of trouble." she tells Haxorus who nods in understanding. He takes the struggling Shinx towards the stairs and makes his way upstairs where he is placed inside of the same room as Klara. Aella follows suit and then sighs, "What is your name anyway?" she asked the very tipsy Shinx. He glanced at her, cross eyed, "Nikita, take it o-or lo-lose it birdy turdy." he slurred.

Aella glanced away as Nikita face planted on the floor, snoring loudly to himself. She ruffled her feathers up and then hops onto a desk, lowering her head into her wing. Klara, not fully asleep, opens one of her eyes and stares down the knocked out Shinx and the small bird near her. "Nikita.." she whispered to herself, finally knowing the little monster's name. "Hmph.. fitting." she closed her eyes once again, eventually drifting off to sleep.

**LATER THAT NIGHT...**

Not too far in the distance from Nikita and Klara's location, a huge skyscraper stood in the center of the town. In an office building, a man in a suit sat still, holding a cigarette in one hand and a Zorua in his left. The man's face appeared stern and his eyes as intimidating as an Ursaring in hibernation. The one poacher was in front of him, on his knees while sobbing in sorrow. "No, Faricio, my boss, please, you have to understand-" he started to say just to be interrupted by the boss, who slammed his cigarette against his desk with force.

"Understand what?! That your stupid Pokemon just made our business lose profit?! Look at you, you're such a failure, do you understand me?!" Faricio screamed, making the Zorua giggle out towards the poacher's reaction. The poacher lowered his head in defeat, "I-I know that we made mistakes, but I swear, I'll get them back! Oh, oh, even better, we had this Vulpix with us and-"

"Oh wow, a Vulpix, so amazing." Faricio said sarcastically, stepping out of his chair to grab the poacher by the shoulder. The poacher winced as his grip tightened, "N-No! This Vulpix was special though! I'm being honest! It was white and blue sir! It even showed incredible strength!" the poacher said desperate, the pain in his shoulder getting worse.

This caught the attention of Faricio, who released some of his grip, "Oh really? A strong Vulpix, one so different as well?" he asked, a grin forming on his face. "I suppose I could use a Pokemon like that on my side, especially if I evolve it into a Ninetales." he said in thought, rubbing his chin a little bit. The poacher nodded quickly, "Y-Yeah! We could use our invention on it as well, you know?! The Corruption Ball?" the poacher laughed nervously.

Faricio let go of the poacher's shoulder and shoved him back, "There's no 'we' in this situation, this one is mine." he said harshly, the Zorua standing to its feet behind him. The poacher shook his head, "No, let us help sir! I mean, we can try again-"

"Silence yourself!" Faricio screamed, "You have failed me for the last time, it's quite apparent that you all are hopeless, good-for-nothings!" he continued, making the poacher cringe and stand to his feet, "What? Without us you wouldn't have this business! You wouldn't have anything!" he said bluntly, making veins pop out of the boss's forehead, "Like, we're not only workers you know?! We are allies to you, just you wait until everyone finds out about what you said!" With a twisted smile, the boss's eyes slowly moved back to look at the poacher, "Is that so? Well, first, I don't care that you are my allies, all of you are more slaves than friends. Second, nobody will find out about what I said, because you will not be leaving today to speak a word."

The poacher's gaze turned horrified as Faricio grabbed a Corruption Ball from his belt, gripping it tightly in his hand like the precious device that it is to him. "W-Wait, boss, don't do this, please!" he shakily grabbed a pokeball and also prepared it to throw, releasing his Gabite from its containment. The Gabite quickly moved its head about and then wheezed, feeling exhausted from the angry antics from before. As its eyes met the eyes of its fearful trainer, it glanced towards Faricio's direction and suddenly grew scared itself.

Faricio threw the ball into the air, releasing a cloud of black smoke before a figure of a very large Pokemon appeared. Its long snake-like form wrapped around half of the room and its figure started to rise into the air, its eyes opening to be fully red and angry. As the smoke cleared, a very huge Serperior stared down at the now trembling poacher and Gabite. Its sharp teeth poked out from between its lips and several thorns popped out of its tail and sides. Its head turned to look at Faricio, who grinned as the pokeball closed. "Serperior, use Dragon Pulse!" he commanded and without a second to spare, the snake Pokemon quickly formed a bright light in its mouth and jerked back.

"Oh Arceus! What is that thing!? How does it know-" the poacher quickly dashed away as the beam slammed into his Gabite, slamming it against the glass windows just for them to shatter, causing the dragon Pokemon to fall back with a struggling expression. "Master!" it cried as it then fell from the building, landing on the cement ground about a mile down with a sickening crunch.

The poacher's eyes filled with tears as he laid on the floor, in shock as the very different Serperior held itself in a striking position, hissing deeply. "Wh-Wh-What is it?! I mean, it's a Serperior, but w-wh-what happened to it!? Answer me damn it!" the poacher screamed. Faricio laughed out loud, "Silly me, I forgot to explain what the Corruption Balls are able to do, even to my very own workers." he rolled his eyes, "You see, my dear worker, I manufactured these pokeballs to be revolutionary. Any Pokemon captured inside of them will change, far more than what you believe they would. This Serperior obeys me only, not only that, but she gained a dragon typing, funny isn't it?" he laughed out loud, his laughter crazed as can be.

The poacher formed sweat on his face, "B-But we only just started to finish them, y-you used some without telling us?!" he sobbed, scared by the loss of his dear Gabite, "You are evil! Truly evil! I thought that we were allied with you, but you could care less!" he sobbed out.

"Good, now, how about I demonstrate the power of the new era! Serperior, use Outrage!" he commanded. The Serperior, not hesitating for even a moment, swiftly slammed her entire mouth over the poacher and slung his body around, squeezing it with her tail just to slam his entire lower body against the walls and floor. With one quick swing, the poacher's body slammed against the shattered glass of the window, piercing his flesh. He gagged on air and then shakily tried to move, yet couldn't, his bones were broken. He moved to lift his head, his vision was blurry and his mouth dripped blood all the way down to his chin and neck. He gagged and gurgled, trying to talk as the Serperior went closer to him.

"Finish him." Faricio commanded, making the large snake-like Pokemon open its mouth full of sharp teeth and crunch down on the poacher's body, ripping him apart like a piece of taffy in the sun. The poacher's screams were quickly silenced as his upper half and lower half became nothing but crunchy paste inside of the Serperior's mouth and with one swallow, the Serperior swallowed the poacher, enjoying every second of the vicious murder.

Faricio stared at the broken window and cracked walls in annoyance, "He made me mess up my office, pity." he returned the Pokemon to its ball and then moved over to the broken glass, "People will be suspicious." he said while looking down at the dead Gabite at the bottom of the tower. He bent down and grabbed a piece of the glass, suddenly growing an even more crazed look, "No, I'm nothing but a kind man who was viciously attacked by an angry Gabite, nothing more!" he grinned twistedly, "Yes, that's right! I fought so hard to keep it away from me that I forced my Pokemon to defend me, yes!" he then proceeded to slam the piece of glass into his arm, dragging it down forcefully. He emitted a gasp of pain, yet bit his arm gently to keep himself quiet. With a soft noise, the glass landed on the ground and he gripped his bleeding arm with his free hand.

"I'm innocent, always innocent, just a nice man trying to help this region with his inventions. Yes, oh yes! Yes!" he laughed, staring up at the ceiling, "It'll be me! I'll take this region over! All of it! Every single bit of it will be mine! Nobody will take me alive!" he yelled to himself, his pupils smaller than even the smallest of seeds. His laughter echoed through his office, with only him there to tell the true tale of what happened inside. The Zorua stared him down with a blank face and rolled its eyes, only feeling annoyed at the events which occurred.


End file.
